Mikel Arteta is unsure whether Declan Rice and Cristhian Mosquera will be fit for Arsenal’s trip to Aston Villa on Saturday as he provided an uncertain injury update on the duo.
Arsenal’s growing defensive injury crisis worsened on Wednesday evening when Mosquera was forced off just before half-time of their Premier League clash with Brentford, hobbling down the tunnel after landing awkwardly.
Rice then joined the Spaniard on the treatment table as he limped off late into their 2-0 win at the Emirates with a calf issue, giving Arteta another injury scare.
The star Gunners midfielder allayed fears of a serious problem and said in a post-match interview that he was “fine”, but Arteta was unable to confirm whether the Englishman will make an immediate return to the fold.
“Well, let's see,” he said. “I think with all the questions I'm going to get, the answer, unfortunately, is going to be the same. We have another training session in the afternoon.
“Every hour is going to be very important to see the availability of the players. After that, we'll decide who travels.
Arteta also couldn’t provide a definitive update on Mosquera, leaving the 21-year-old in doubt to feature at Villa Park.
“That's the one that is more complicated,” Arteta said. “But again, we have another test today to see where we are with them.”
Mosquera’s absence threatens to put greater strain on Arsenal’s already-dwindling defensive options.
Gabriel is out until after Christmas with a thigh problem while William Saliba missed out on the Brentford clash after picking up a knock in training.
But in a boost for the Gunners, Arteta revealed that Saliba is very close to returning to contention, along with Belgian forward Leandro Trossard.
“It is a matter of days with those two, for sure,” he added.
